Neil Marriott is a native of Winnipeg, Canada. He is 42.
He's been living in Eden Prairie with his wife, Brenda, and two young children since 1998.

Eden Prairie, Minn. —
Neil and Brenda Marriott both work in the field of information technology, and came to the Twin Cities in search of better jobs. Neil's hometown of Winnipeg is only six hours from the Twin Cities.

He says assimilating into American culture is very easy. Neil says he doubts there are two countries more alike than the U.S. And Canada.

Both Neil's and Brenda's parents, and some siblings, still live in Winnipeg. Neil, Brenda and kids Ryan and Alana easily travel back to Canada several times a year to visit.

Since Canadians don't have to register when they come to the U.S., it's difficult to get a precise number of how many Canadians live in Minnesota. The common estimate is between 10,000 and 20,000. About 500 of them live in the Twin Cities.

Marriott enjoys watching curling, a very popular sport back home, on satellite television from Canada. On a recent day, he was tuned into the Curling World Championships.